By LASIS Staff

The LASIS team demands excellence, of ourselves and other journalists, too, and we took to the streets to protest for quality reporting.

Click on photo to enlarge and see from left to right, back row: (Publisher) Jethro Lieberman, with megaphone; Jessica McElroy, demanding punctuation; Jaclyn Tyndorf, loving free speech; Leah Braukman, needing nothing but LASIS; and (Editor) Michelle Zierler and Drew Carroll, with raised arms, Occupying LLAW Street. From left to right, front row: Ryan Morrison enjoying a mid-protest smoke; Meghan Lalonde, singing her heart out; and Halina Schiffman Shilo, earnestly studying her iPad.

We wiill be taking time off for a while while our reporters are busy with their summer jobs.  We may have an infrequent post or two but for the most part, this is it for a while.

We thank you for reading us, and for all your comments, and wish all of you a great summer!

By Jessica McElroy

Mississippi plumber Johnny Valentine and his wife Sandra Day wed in 1993 and didn’t enjoy the happiest of marriages. Mr. Valentine was a drinker and gambler who showed no signs of changing no matter how many times the missus threatened to leave.  In 1998, an unhappy and fed up Ms. Day began having an affair with her boss, Jerry Fitch, a wealthy oil and real estate businessman.

The following year, Ms. Day gave birth to a baby girl whom Mr. Valentine assumed was his daughter– until he didn’t.  Seven months after the little girl was born, Mr. Valentine took a paternity test.  He’d been right to be suspicious; the girl was Mr. Fitch’s child. Ms. Day continued adulterous relationship with Mr. Fitch, and Mr. Valentine filed for divorce.

Shortly after that, Mr. Valentine brought another suit – this time, against Mr. Fitch – essentially accusing him of stealing his wife.  Mr. Valentine won, and earlier this year,  the Supreme Court of Mississippi affirmed the jury verdict against Mr. Fitch including $754,500 in compensatory and punitive damages– plus 8 percent annual interest.

Yikes.

Mr. Fitch’s big payout to Mr. Valentine came courtesy of Mississippi’s common law tort of alienation of affection.

LASIS wasn’t even aware that such a law, even if on the books, could still being litigated in today’s courts. It may not be nice to have an affair with someone married but how the heck can it be illegal?  We were intrigued, and investigated.   Read more »

By LASIS Staff

A little birdie alerted us that the media have been chirping about a formal protest launched against the city of Chicago because of how it chose the company to run its public bike share system, Alta Bicycle Share.

The protest comes from Josh Squire, owner of Bike Chicago, who alleges that “the entire RFP process was tainted.”

Mr. Squire competed and lost in the Chicago contest.

Legitimate protest or sour grapes?

We reviewed the complaint, and in our estimation, Mr. Squire has it right.  There were many improprieties and plenty Chicago will have to answer for.

With public bike shares rolling out all across the country, we wondered whether any other cities might be guilty of improper conduct. And though we can’t say for sure, we didn’t have to look further than our own backyard.

New York City Department of Transportation:  Say it ain’t so.   Read more »

By Drew Carroll & Nadia-Elysse Harris

Cheap and delicious pizza is as New York as the lights in Times Square. After a drunken night of partying, in between afternoon classes, or just in lieu of cooking – one dollar in New York City can get you a slice of pizza that will have you savoring every last greasy crumb.

There are 773 pizza restaurants on the island of Manhattan according to menupages.com, (pizza is also available at plenty of other places not actually listed as pizza restaurants, too) but on a small section of Avenue of the Americas between 37th & 38th Streets two restaurants serving pizza think that there is, perhaps, just one place too many. And each of them is pointing at the other.

A price war resulted and for now, at least, you can get pizza at both these joints for 75-cents a slice. In New York, where movies go for $13 and the rent is too damn high, this is newsworthy.

According to the New York Times, Bombay Fast Food/6th Avenue Pizza, an eatery offering –you guessed it — Indian food and pizza, was less than pleased to welcome its new just-next-door neighbor last October — 2 Bros. Pizza, part of a growing chain of New York pizza shops.

Bombay’s manager, Mohit Kumar Mitra, willingly states the obvious: that Bombay felt the pressure from 2 Bros., and decided to take competitive action, lowering the price of a slice to 79 cents. Mr. Mitra told us that, “within two hours,” 2 Bros. put a sign in front of their restaurant advertising 75-cent pizza. Bombay felt it had no choice but match it.

The Times reported that Bombay’s owner is “contemplating checking with a lawyer” to see if something could be done.  Bombay was being held hostage to its new neighbor’s lower price offerings, and though he didn’t say it, he was clearly worried that his business would suffer, he’d go out of business, and then 2 Bros. could raise its prices again.  There ought to be a law…But was there?

We figured we’d help the mom and pop shop out and do a little research. And while we were at it, have a slice or two ourselves.   Read more »

By LASIS Staff

Alabama’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board has banned the sale of Dirty Bastard beer in its state.

This, despite the fact that Fat Bastard beer and Ragin’ Bitch beer are both widely available in Alabama. Asked to comment on this discrepancy, Bob Martin, an attorney for the state agency had this to say:

“I have no idea how or why or exactly when that went through.”

LASIS has an idea why, Mr. Martin.

Last April, the same issue was taken up in Michigan, which had wanted to ban Ragin’ Bitch beer. We explained why we thought the state would have to permit the beer to be sold.

And as it turned out, we were right.

So if Dirty Bastard beer decides to fight your ban, you might want to start making room for it on your shelves.